Straight Up Classic Shortbread

Click HERE to watch the YouTube tutorial!

What can I say about this shortbread? It was the cookie I chose to showcase when I had my cookie business a few years ago and this one simple biscuit was the base for every single other sweet flavour I made. It is my mom's special recipe, and I'm happy to share it with you. I can give you the basic play by play here- but if you want more step by step, hands on instructions go to my YouTube video HERE and have a peek! Oh, and hit SUBSCRIBE while you're at it, then you won't miss a video!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. of salted butter (2 cups)

1 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups all purpose flour

HOW TO:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees F

2.) Prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper

3.) Cream the room temperature butter for about 30-45 seconds until creamy

4.) Add the vanilla and beat until well incorporated

5.) Add the icing sugar and beat about 1 minute until light and fluffy

6.) Add the flour in TWO additions, beating well in between

*The dough will be quite stiff at this point and forming itself a ball kind of on its own

<---WATCH VIDEO HERE for hands on instructions!

7.) Form the dough into a fairly compact ball, then roll it into a thick cylinder so you can cut it into 4 equal pieces (to make 4 logs)

8.) Roll the dough out into logs about an inch to an inch and a half thickness

9.) Chill for 30 minutes

10.) Slice the cookies about 1/4" thick and place on cookie sheets approx. 1/2" apart. You can really cram them on!

11.) Using a fork, make 3 small rows of tine marks across the cookie (if you want) otherwise just keep them plain

12.) Bake 40-45 minutes. Check them at 35 minutes to make sure they are not brown on the bottom

NOTES:

*Shortbread can keep for up to 3 months in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (don't refrigerate though!)